Falling Feathers
by Sorrelpaw
Summary: The flock is on their way to New York when Maximum Ride suddenly suffers from a brain attack. Now Fang must save Max. Fang's point of view during The Angel Experiment A little Max&Fang Faxness! R


**In the first Maximum Ride book,**_**The Angel Experiment, **_**Max has a brain attack and she falls from the sky. I thought this could be a really great scene but the author of Maximum Ride didn't elaborate. Here is my version of what happened through Fang's eyes.**

**ATTENTION: Story has been re-written and re-published as of 6/16/09. If you haven't read this story in a while, please read it again. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. And sadly I do not think I ever will.**

**Please enjoy the story! :)**

I narrowed my dark eyes to gaze down with raptor vision at tiny shapes moving below. Instantly my vision changed and the tiny shapes became larger--like I was viewing them through a magnifying glass. I saw trucks and cars gaily going about their daily business with no idea five mutant freaks--or as Nudge preferred, Avian Americans--were flying just out of view.

I switched my view to my sleek, dark wings as they moved slowly; powerfully beating up and down. Almost fifteen feet across and covered with shining black-purple feathers, these are what kept me from falling and squashing against the hard, unforgiving earth like a bug on a windshield.

Yes. Wings. The flock--Max, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, Angel--and I we all have them, plus an assortment of other rather interesting abilities.

We were flying a couple thousand feet over God-knows-where, heading to New York. I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, as if something very bad was about to happen. Consequently I was on hyper alert-- doing a 360 scan of the skies every twenty-seconds.

And, of course, that feeling of unease was correct. Because we just couldn't fly to New York with no trouble, right? Nooo. That would be to freaking _easy_.

My dark eyes passed over Nudge in time to see her eyes widen. She suddenly let out an ear piercing scream. A look of terror was plastered across her face. I followed her line of sight and spotted Max.

I went ridged automatically as Max threw her arms up, wrapping them around her head. She was screaming as if she was in great pain. Her scream and Nudge's mingled until my head throbbed.

I froze, almost forgot to keep beating my wings. An attack? I found myself unable to move, as I watched Max. My eyes were transfixed.

"Max! Max!" Angel and Gazzy had sighted their leader, they both looked frightened.

Their cries brought me out of my trance, but before I could do anything, Max's tan wings crumpled and she went spiraling away. Away through the clouds…falling…My view of her was obscured as the clouds consumed her form.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins. Without a second thought I folded my wings and plummeted after her.

_Where the heck is she? _I thought to myself. The clouds parted and I saw her.

She was falling surprisingly fast her tears whipped away by the wind. I felt my stomach flip over and my heart constrict. Max never _ever _cried. It killed me to see her like this. Her eyes were glazed over and I knew she couldn't see me angling my wings. I sped like a shooting bullet towards her.

The ground was coming up fast-- surprisingly fast. Every instinct I possessed screamed at me to unfurled my huge wings and land safely.

I shot past Max and opened my arms. "Erph!" I grunted as her weight hit me. Hard. For a second we fell together. Then I swiftly secured my arms around her waist and my wings unfurled quickly, making me wince. I made a mental note. _Instant unfurling with weight equals pain._

I beat my wings fast and strong. Slowly Max and I begun to rise above the treetops. Black-purple feathers spiraled downwards.

Max had stopped screaming and she had started to whimper softly. Her wings hung limply and were squished between us. Her soft brown eyes still had a cloudy film coating them and her hands were clamped tightly around her head. She looked so frail and unMaxlike. I had the sudden and strange urge to protect her. Again, without thinking, I twisted my neck so my lips brushed her tear-stained cheek. Max took no notice.

Emotions exploded with in me, so suddenly I almost dropped Max. I couldn't decipher what I was feeling. It was then I realized something. My emotions quieted slightly and I found one that stood out. Love. I _liked_ Max. More then a friend. Maybe more then I would admit to myself. I reached up to softly brush a tear from her cheek with my finger.

I could not rid myself of the horrid idea that floated around my brain--me not being able to catch her in time. I shuttered an image of a blood covered, broken Max popping up behind my eyes.

I also realized another thing. A very important thing.

Max had not woken from her state. Obviously something was very, very wrong with her. My stomach dropped. What if her expiration date was nearing? Erasers (half-wolf half-human hounds of h-e-double toothpicks.) had expiration dates-- and besides being blood-thirsty lunatics-- they weren't much different from us. DNA wise.

A single thought floated around my mind, a thought that made me grit my teeth.

_What if…Maximum Ride was going to die?_

--x--

Slowly we had been rising in altitude, and a few agonizing minutes later we had risen to the same altitude where we had left the rest of the flock. My emotions had been quieted and locked away. I had plastered a fake almost-smile onto my face so I wouldn't alarm the rest of the flock.

"Fang! Max!" Nudge was the first to spot me and before I knew it, we where surrounded by mutant bird kids. Nudge was crying happily-- glad to see Max had not smashed into the ground. Iggy was demanding to know what was happening. (being blind, he had no idea what was going on) Gazzy sniffed once and I could see him fighting back tears. Angel was crying freely her silvery tears fell through the clouds.

"Guys! Guys!" I hated seeing the flock cry so I assumed 'Max Mode.' Lead. That's what I had to do right now. "Nudge, Gazzy. Find a place to land." I told them, like always my voice was quiet yet it had that flinty edge to it. Nudge hesitantly backpedaled-- her wings beating quickly. Gazzy reluctantly followed. I nodded at Gazzy, and his thin shoulder straightened. He offered me a smile.

"Lets go find a place to roast bologna--on a stick." Nudge said, as solemnly as someone saying the word 'bologna' could sound. She and Gazzy spread their wings and flew away.

My attention once more returned to Max. "Angel, see what you can pick up from Max." The six-year-old mind reader nodded and steadied herself, her tiny white wings flapping hard to keep herself up. Her golden curls bounced on her shoulders as her blue eyes shut in concentration.

"What about _me_?" Iggy questioned, looking annoyed that I had forgotten him.

"Keep watch." I know what your thinking, 'Fang how can a blind guy watch your back?' Well let me tell you Iggy has super hearing. He would know if an _owl _was approaching. And those things are silent.

Before Iggy could react Angel gasped. My eyes locked onto her. Fresh tears where pouring down her face. I looked at her expectantly. It took a moment for her to regain herself.

"There's…a movie in Max's brain." She said, looking very distressed.

I stared at her. A what now?

"It's hurting her. But it's leaving." Angel said, sounding very like a six-year-old for once.

A movie in Max's brain? I shook my head, utterly confused. "Erm…thank you, Angel."

She looked at me her blue eyes holding mine. _There's something else._ A voice in my mind said. That telepathic voice belonged to Angel. _When she was falling, Max wanted to die. She didn't want you to catch her. _My blood became ice. Max had wanted to die? _She wanted to die. _Angel repeated her telepathic voice was frail and distressed.

_Anything else? _Any other wonderful things I should know about? Any other horrors that lurked in Max's mind? I felt completely un-Fangish right about now. I wanted to cry. I wanted to hold Max close and I wanted her to be okay. Instead I was putting on a mask of leadership while hoping with all my heart that Max wouldn't die.

Wow…that sounded _really _mushy.

Angel shook her head and turned without another word. She flew to Iggy, who was scanning the skies with his blind gaze. The two begun a soft conversation.

--x--

It wasn't long before Nudge and the Gasman returned. They both reported an excellent campsite not to far from our current location.

Just as well they had found something—my arms and wings where hurting from carrying Max's weight. I know what your thinking, 'Fang, she's lighter then you. Quit complaining. Be a _man._' Well actually Max and I happen to be the same weight because of our hollow bones and air sacks. But I'm not going to launch into a whole anatomy or whatever its called. And I happen to be a avian experiment, which I don't think qualifies as a man.

Or something like that.

Nudge was busy rattling off the location of the campsite, looking quite pleased with herself. We where flying north-east in triangular bird formation. I was beginning to grow more worried for Max. She still hadn't woken. Her breathing was ragged but she had fallen into silence. I glanced down at her to see her eyes flutter open. They no longer wore a clouded, distant expression. My heart instantly felt lighter. I tried to keep my eyes blank but she had already sensed my worry for her.

"What have you been eating, _rocks?_" I questioned wincing as my words echoed my relief. The flock had fallen silent; all of them seemed to know Max was awake.

"Why? Are some missing from your head?" Max croaked her reply a smile flickering across her lips. I felt an answering smile flicker across mine. Max, Maximum Ride, was going to be alright.

For now at least…

--x--

_**The End.**_

**I hope you enjoyed reading my Fanfiction! Please Read & Rate! Who knows, if I get enough reviews I may post a short continuation chapter after this one-- titled **_**Letting Go. **_**Its Max & Fang fluff, of course.**


End file.
